Monthly Archives: May 2011

Role Of Government: Open Thread

For my liberal friends:

What is the characteristic of “a thing” that requires the State enact that thing rather than make sure that thing simply occurs.

For example, the State should be concerned with feeding its people, yet the State doesn’t participate in feeding the people.  However, the State should be concerned with educating its people AND the State feels IT has to do the educating.

Why?

Technology Is SO Cool: Corning’s Day of Glass

I’m a techno geek.  I love technology even if I’m crappy at incorporating it in my own everyday life.  [I have a weather station that I’ve been meaning to install for 3 years.  A wireless thermostat for 8 months.  And a networked printer for 1.]

We’re gonna redo our bathroom here in the net couple of months and I’ve always told my wife that I want the mirrors in our bathroom to be “computerized”.  I know what I envisioned but haven’t ever seen it laid out in real life.

Till now:

THAT is just such a cool world.

I wish I were growing up in this day and age!

Green Energy: Biodiesel And The Free Market

We’ve seen copper prices go through the roof.  And we’ve seen copper thieves thrive.

We’ve seen gasoline prices go through the roof.  And we’ve seen gasoline thieves thrive.

We see the same thing everywhere we look.  The price of a thing goes up, the market [even black] reacts.

Perhaps it’s a coming of age for the biodiesel industry.  But it turns out that as the prices traditional energy sources climbs, the market for alternative energy sources expands.  And in some cases, that actually means there is a black market for those alternative sources.

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William Barber: North Carolina NAACP

I don’t like groups of people that label other groups of people as racist.  Or of saying that they are doing things for racist reasons.  I mean, do those groups of people even know what racism means?

The belief that races have distinctive cultural characteristics determined by hereditary factors and that this endows some races with an intrinsic superiority over others.

Does the NAACP really think that a group of people, in this case the Tea Party, really feels that they hold beliefs that African American people have characteristics determined by hereditary factors?

It would seem so.

However, with that said, I don’t believe the answer to such gross mis-characterizations in such circumstances is to respond in kind.

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Will Sarah Palin Run For President

Is she or isn’t she?

Is Sarah Palin gonna run for the highest office in the land or….is she just gonna keep media attention on herself?

There are some who say she’s just grabbin’ media attention in order to sell a book, in order to have fun or, perhaps, to get ready for some other electoral run.  But what do you think?

Well, if ya have money to bet, here’s what that money will buy ya’:

The “smart money” says there is a 45% chance that she’ll run.  Frankly, I think that’s high, but it does represent a fall from just yesterday and a massive fall since this past November.

But, what does Palin do to the field, running or not?

As we all know, she’s a Tea Party favorite, which I find a little ironic.  She preaches the financial restraint that has come to define that segment of the population, but she’s also known for her loud social conservatism as well-a decidedly UN-Tea Party stance.

So, what does a Palin candidacy do?

As I mentioned, Sarah grabs the Tea Party vote.  And within that “Tea Party” vote, she absolutely wraps up the most extreme faction.  The more moderate of the conservative movement will give pause before supporting Palin.  Not only for ideological reasons, but for practical ones as well; after all, can Palin beat Obama?

Romney will lose some of his base to Palin, but not the most important part.  He’ll still keep the fiscal folks and those who stay away from the social conservatives.  The candidate that’ll get hurt the most will be Herman Cane.  He’s the only other candidate running that has the support of the Tea Party faithful  Will he be able to differentiate himself fast enough and far enough to withstand a Palin run?  I don’t think so.  If Palin runs, Cane loses out.

However, with Sarah in the race, it allows the other candidates to use her as a foil.  They’ll be able to contrast themselves to her in order to appeal to more conventional conservatives AND independents.  As Palin calls for “Drill baby drill” the other candidates will be able to call for a “more reasonable and sensible approach”.  As Palin calls for her extreme fiscal restraint, Romney and Pawlenty will be able to step back and again take a more centrist tone.

If Palin doesn’t run, it opens the race to be sure.  And as I mentioned above, will massively benefit Herman Cane.  As he raises his profile among the most conservative, he’ll see his numbers rise.  He’ll preach the fiscal conservative message and it’ll be well received.  He’ll speak that speak from the position of CEO and Federal Reserve board member.  And without Palin, there won’t be the magnet for the social conservatives and they’ll clamor for an ear.  Will it tempt one of the main line candidate to capitulate to the right?  Will they resist that temptation?  I suspect the voices will be too hard and someone will veer right.

It’s my hope that Palin will run, draw out the far right, let the other candidates more normally distinguish themselves and then bow out and play the role of King Maker.

And then run for Kyle’s seat.

What’s Up With Pino

Posting has been slow for the last several days.  I suspect that this will continue as I enjoy my temporary digs in Phoenix, AZ.  The Pino family are visiting family in the desert and are enjoying much deserved rest and relaxation.

 

Here is a view from the temporary home office:

 

And this is the office itself.  Wonderful way to make a living:

Happy Memorial Day Weekend ya’ll!

North Carolina Unemployment: May 27, 2011

The counties of North Carolina continue to heal; we’re lowering our unemployment and getting folks back to work:

RALEIGH — Unemployment rates decreased in 73 of North Carolina’s 100 counties in April. Rates increased
in 10 counties and remained the same in 17.

The good news is that this decrease in the rate is being brought about by adding jobs, not simply reducing the unemployed:

The number of workers employed (not-seasonally adjusted) increased in April by 6,751 to 4,046,255. The number of people unemployed decreased by 10,036. The number of unemployed people in April was 424,502 workers, compared with 434,538 in March.

I hope that the North Carolina congress holds firm on with holding continued unemployment benefits to our state’s unemployed.  We have long since passed the appropriate amount of time that those assistance dollars are required to transition to a new job.  It’s been nearly two years; two years to find a job.

The weekly benefit of those checks is nearly $300.00 a week, certainly not very much.  However, workers have adjusted to that amount by this time and taking a job that pays even $10.00 represents a 33% raise in wages.  Not an insignificant amount.

I hope that North Carolina can continue to lower her tax rates, keep the sales tax at a reasonable rate and bring business into the state.  It’s a good thing to see our unemployment rate fall, but there is much work to be done.

Barack Obama And His Toast To The Queen

Okay, so check it out.

A million miles a day.  A ton of people a minute.  Crisis after crisis.

I get it.  A man gets tired and is often not at his best.

But this is England.  And she is the Queen.  And he should know better.

He didn’t.

And the sad part?  It’s not his fault.  Any more than it’s the fault of a relief pitcher playing linebacker when his coach asks him.

Obama’s not a President; he’s a court fool to the rest of the world.

Politics Republicans Democrats and Awareness

For a long long time I resonated with a “team” more than I resonated with a concept.

I mean, I grew up pullin’ for the Vikings, so, naturally, they are the coolest team in the whole world and the Packers just suck.

And the Cowboys [Drew Pearson—shiver]

And the Steelers

And the Falcons

I digress.  Anyway, teams.

My dad liked Reagan, but not until later in life, much later, did I learn that dad was a democrat, and pretty hard core too.  We would often argue and debate and each of us left the conversation seriously considering the voting tendencies of the milkman.  I wonder how much of that was due to the fact that I grew up THINKING dad was a Republican?

Weird.

I’m pretty convinced that I’m a Christian because I grew up in a Christian family in a Christian town in a Christian nation.  I think that’s pretty clear.

However, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to try and back away a little bit and see things…twice.  It’s an old Billy Joel song, “Things I didn’t know before I learned by doin’ twice….”

Anyway, its awareness, being able to see and focus and count the things going on around you.  Sometime they happen so fat, ya miss ’em.

Try it:  See if you can count —

See what I mean?

Fox News Most Trusted News Source

Oh my oh my!

Leftists the world over are going to lament this:

Q58. What political news source do you trust the most? RANDOMIZE 1-7. ONE ANSWER ONLY
N= 1070 100%
CNN ……………………………………..  18%
MSNBC …………………………………  7%
FOX News …………………………….. 28%
ABC ……………………………………….. 6%
NBC ………………………………………..10%
CBS …………………………………….. … 6%
C-SPAN …………………………………. 3%
Other (DO NOT READ) …………. 10%
Undecided (DO NOT READ) ….. 12%

You can take CNN and add it to MSNBC and STILL not get to FOX!

Huh.